Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-10-01

land, the rest Of the crew being at their
posts, rssady for the beat down the upper bay
assd thsough tie EsrTewa
At pr~ciuelg thirty seconds before 10 CIR
caI<aiA again measured with his eye our 6i.-
lance above the kne, replaced his watck N
hls pocket and gave orders for Ne start:
sstaad by W haul your wind-lud you may,
now-fatteu all sheets fore and aft AID, rs
the helm was put Down and sheets haaled In,
tie geod si.ssusr Wellington nne up 10 the
wind in beautiful style aud lay over " an
angle thai showed she meant business as she
hen<ied fer ths hne On the starboafd tack.
Keep her ful, now.H reared the skipper,
sanotisar laM on that fsre sheet--se, thst viii
do" asd Ms a e-oua cf smoke rose from the
| end OF the pier, showing that time Was up,
we dashed over the llie ahead OF our rival,
who crossed GA the port tack several seconds
later. Down tlie upper bay we sped, keep
Ing almost tack and tack, through the Mar
rows past Forts Hamilton aud Lafayette and
out Into the waters OF the lower hay. Then
breeze from the east brought tho wind sbesm,
sheets we're started, aud, with the Iavincibls
couple Of cables lengths sstern and TO wind
ward. We reached down for Sandy Hook. The
buoys inside the Hook were rounded soon
after O'Clock y. M, and we settled down for
beat out 70 the lightshp. That was rounded
In due order, and with fresls breeze blowing
east by north ths two schoeners were headed,
close haukd cn he port tack, on a southeast
course for Bermuda, aud the race had fairly
begun. Our position was now about three
/ quarters ef mik 70 leewsrd Of the other
craft, which gain she had made in the beat
cut to the kghtssiP, we having almost lost the
wiisd when upder the Hook There was :
choppy sea on, the increasing wind crossing
the lsng Atlantic swell and kicking mp con
siderable OF a pother. aud once clear OF land,
and at the mercy Of the 1rolling fortes," the
schooner began TO get pretty lively. The sky
had become overcast the clouds resmed to be
getting lower, and the wind increased a. II
gradually headed MS of, and II began to as
sumo the appearance Of what would now be
calleG cutter weather.
I was watching the other vessel through
glass when saw her luff and come mp In the
wind. .She's taking In her tops'ls, ! shouted.
and when she fell of and sgsin headed on her
course II was under mains7, and forser and
the jib only, and even taen seemed to have
al the sail she wanted.
And, indeed, II was high time we were do
ing something. too. for our skipper was dsiv-
ing his vessd beyond what l Thought advis-
able, and expected something 10 go every
moment She lay over at fearful angle the
water to leeward hissing and bubbling along
1 her rar, while clouds Of spray broke continu-
ally over the forecastle, varied occasionally
by huge wave flooding her deck fore and
aft. The crew, with the exception Of couple
of hands at the wheel. were orouchlug under
the weather bulwarks, every one OF them
af Ia tha CHI xrh M o4s.t
order came Stand by to take ia your gaff
bops'ls and outer Fbs, heln-a-lee, get them
slowed smartly. now aad hardly were
sheets Stacked of and hslliards manned,
ere at sign from the captain, the helm
was put up and we were again tearing
through the surges while the light canvas
siderably for Q unae, but by shutdown 1t
was Blowing half gale while we plcwed the
whitecaps in grand style under couple OF
reefs in raaiu and forests, osr goal bearing
about three points to windward OF the best
COURSE we could lie Before night closed in l
took another sqnint at the other vessel and
had the satisfaction of seeing that we had
weathered on her some and were also grad
ually drawing ahead. The view arouad us
I was superbly grand. but things were rather
|
Il. The wind was flowing half gale--geod
risasuTe-.hs whole surface Of the seething
waters had that opaque, gray tint which the
fsoth and bubbles OF a heavy blow always
give. Mopstsons seas ross and fell and rose
again, their tops torn 10 shreds as they broke
insc foam and spray under the fury Of one
gale, while the schooner, under her shortened
canvas, was ritclsisg In q way to make a
landsmans kair stand on end as one mome4it
her sharp stesa split huge wave In twain,
her forefoot the next moment suspended clear
Of the water over the succeeding trough OF
the SEA as her stern sank deep in the embrace
of the divided wave
AS darkness came over the scene our last
sight OF the IRviRcible showed that we were
at least holding our own. and, it being my
watch below, turned IN. after changing my
wringing wet clothes, to make the most oil
what bid far to be ONLY shost rest
was awakened by the hoarse shout of aal
hands ON deok." and tumbled up ia a hurry
10 find the wind abating and the crew busy
shaking out the reefs il the fore AID msinss
It being nearly my tiaae to take charge tn,
skipper went below, while l walked the decl
. in command, occasionally stopping 10 glanc,
, at the coiapas- to see how we kept our course
About midnight We got tue gaf and jill
tops'is on her and before the captain agail
appeared we had the flying jib set as we'll
By daylight 1t was only blowing a gent
breeze, bus the swell was ssu heavy, and a
! the schooner had all sail set, Including
, maintop mast stays'l, all that could be don
!, was to watch and wait IL IS needless to tel
that. as daylight broke over the still hsavin,
surface of the ocean, every sys aboard tia
, vessel was eagerly searching the sxpanse O
a water for a sight Of our competitor, but
FROM the deck, there was Not a ssiI ia sight
!, A hand sept alost to the fore cross tree
= hailei the deck with the news Of a bark OF
! the port beam, heading to the northwest, bu
!, that was all Speculation was rife as to oh
= whereabouts OF the other craft, the genersll
!, accepted theory Of her absence from view be
!, Ing that she must have laid to 30 weather on
) the gale and that we had consequently ru
I her out of sight. This idea impaired pleas
, urable feeling to every cue on board, as eac
: cae Of VS. had the promise If a liberal s.ar
! Of the winsings in case Of crossing the lin
!. irst-this being an offer Of our owners as a
- ii,ducsnient to the crew--besides the nature
desire TO win against crack new boat